How To Make A Delicious Vegetable Soup

A vegetable soup is a fantastic meal for several reasons. For one, it is only the ingredients that a person likes that will end up in the soup. Also, the cook has an opportunity to make it much healthier. Making a vegetable soup is an easy thing, as there are so many soups to choose from. However, for someone who does not know how to go about it, he or she can end up with something that is far from delicious. This article will examine how to cook vegetable soup. It will also explore the several ingredients that make up the soup together with how they all fit.

How To Easily Prepare a Vegetable Soup

The Broth and Stock

The broth is one of the most vital parts in any vegetable soup. In fact, one can think of the soup as consisting of two parts: the broth and all the other ingredients that go into it. The broth is the liquid part of the soup or the water in which meat, fish or vegetables are simmered until their flavour is contained in the water. Vegetable stock is a vital part of the broth and is made up of veggies simmered in water for quite some time

To prepare stock, all the vegetables are chopped and then added to a pressure cooker together with four cups of water and salt to taste. After bringing it to boil, followed by simmering for between 30 and 40 minutes, the vegetable soup stock is then strained into a colander. One can press the veggies with a ladle to fully extract the stock. The cook can then add broccoli, mushrooms, leeks or celery to it, but not potatoes and tomatoes. Some chefs are known to add vegetable peels but it is not advisable since they may contain pesticide residue. However, they can be added if organic vegetables are used.

Vegetables

Vegetable soup would not be called so if it does not have any vegetables. However, when adding them to the soup, there are several simple guidelines to be followed. For one, a cook can add any vegetables he or she wishes to the soup, but it is advisable to pick those that go well together. If someone adds bitter vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, turnips or broccoli, they should try to balance with sweet ones like carrots, sweet potatoes or peas.

Not many people like overcooked vegetables. To avoid overcooking them, all one has to do is figure out how long they need to cook so that they can be right. Those that need to be cooked longest can be added first, letting them cook for sometime before adding those that need less time to cook. It is advisable to cut them into bit-sized pieces since the soup is all about flavours that have been blended. Smaller vegetable pieces take less preparation time as they cook faster, and also provide a better taste experience.

The only rule to bear in mind is one should always have enough broth to cover all the vegetables. Fewer veggies are added if a lighter soup is needed, while for a soup that is more of a meal should be packed full of them in a way that each spoonful is full of them. Almost anything can be added to the vegetable soup, like shredded cabbage, tomatoes, corn or even mushrooms.

Method of Preparing the Veggie Soup

To prepare the vegetable soup, melt some butter, add finely chopped garlic and onion, then sauté until the onions turn pink. All the vegetables are then added and sauté until the mixture is half-cooked. This should only take a few minutes as long as the vegetables have been chopped into very small pieces. Vegetable stock is added at this point and brought to a boil. Afterwards, corn flour is mixed in a little water and then added to the soup. The mixture is cooked for a few more minutes, and then pepper powder and salt added to taste.

There is a variation whereby paneer and mushroom are also added to the soup. All one has to do is chop two small pieces of paneer and mushroom. It is then simmered with the other vegetables to make the soup. The soup is served either as an appetizer or as a side dish. Both adults and children will definitely love this delicious soup.